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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-04-17-HC-min.pdf THE LEXINGTON HISTORICAL COMMISSION Lexington, Massachusetts 02173 MEETING April 17, 1980 , 7: 30 p .m. , Town Office Building, Room 111 . Present: Anne Grady (Chair) , Sara Chase , Bebe Fallick, Norma Bogen. Other - Peter Kaselis , Project Mgr. , MDC ; Carlton Noyes , Jason Cortell Assoc . ; Larry Whipple , John Davies - Historic Districts Commission; Ruth Mitchell , Amy Samoylenko , Elizabeth Gaughan, Abigail Brenton, Ms . Wertz ; Bob Jeltsch, Lexington MinuteMan. PRESERVATION WEEK AWARD The Historical Commission' s annual preservation award will be given to the Latons of 33 Hancock St. for their sensitive use of solar panels for energy conservation in a historic building . At the next meeting of LHC they will be presented with a certificate and a copy of Joan 'Webber' s "How Old Is Your House? Ms . Chase will have the certificate appropriately enscribed. SUMMER INTERN The BU Summer Intern Program is no longer operative . however, Town Mgr. Hutchinson has approved the use of the $1650 designated for use in conjunction with the BU program fora summer intern with appropriate credentials . Resumes will be solicited from the National Trust , the Univ. of Vermont, and BU . Ms . Grady will meet with Hutchinson next week to pursue the matter further. LHC APPOINTMENT The search for a nevmember of the Commission is continuing. MILLBROOK VALLEY RELIEF SEWER Mr. Noyes of Jason Cortell Assoc . ( consultants to the MDC prime contractor) and Peter Kaselis , Project Mgr. MDC , outlined the Mill Valley Relief Sewer Facilities Plan, emphasizing Alternative 2 - "the preferred plan" to construct a relief sewer along the north side of the railroad right of way from the vicinity of the Arlington line to Bedford St. Comments are requested from LHC on the anticipated impact of the proposed plan on the historic resources in the area prior to the public hearing on May 15 . LHC will prepare a response at its next meeting on May 5 . It appears that there will be norrgative impacts on the structures ( only at 14 Hancock st. does the sewer come to within 8-10 feet of a structure) . No real provision has been made to deal with archeological finds -- however, there is no evidence at the present time that there is likely to be such a find. Meeting of April 17, 1980 - page 2 THE LEXINGTON HISTORICAL COMMISSION Lexington, Massachusetts 02173 RED CROSS BUILDING LHC is investigating possible uses for the Red Cross Building. Because housing is a stable use , this can be considered a good use for the building. Discussion with the Housing Authority has pointed out the difficulties of using subsidy programs ( i .e . lack of funds at the present time , need for meeting requirements of the subsidizing agency, diffi- culty of using the house for elderly persons , etc . ) . A visitor also pointed out that garden furniture and the artifacts of daily living could have a negative impact on the Buckman Tavern site . Larry Whipple indicated he would prefer a use related to Buckman Tavern (Exhibition ari for the Historical Society' s farm tools , for example) . Others suggested the following: A tea room, headquarters for the Green guides , office for a Town agency, etc . . Eptimated cost for restoration is $56, 000-60, 000 ( estimate by Custance) . Is this too high? Should other estimates be requested? In terms of operating costs , the cost of security measures should be taken into account . Other issues: Should the Historical Society have first refusal on the building? Should the building be owned by the town and lased, or should it be sold? (Are the land boundaries separately defined?) Should local industry be asked for funds?-- it could serve as a tax shelter for them. At the next meeting of the Historical Commission on May 5, more discussion will be undertaken with the Historical Society. ADJOURNIVE NT Respectfully submitted, NORMA BOGEI